Sleep Plays an Important Role in Brain and Body Health
Research has shown that how much and how well you sleep has a significant impact on many aspects of your health, including how well your brain functions. For example, a study in the May 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found an association be-tween sleep duration and memory. Other studies have linked poor sleep to a variety of disorders, from immune dysfunction to obesity, diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to Arthur Spielman, PhD, a neurologist with the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Avoid “Sleep Stealers”
Keeping a regular schedule and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends, is “helpful for your whole system, and especially for sleep,” Dr. Spielman says. Yet many aspects of everyday life can interfere with the quantity and quality of your sleep, making it difficult to maintain a regular schedule. For optimal physical and mental health, he advises avoiding these “sleep stealers”:
▶ Alcohol. “It may help you go to sleep, but it harms sleep quality. You wake up early and more often.”
▶ Caffeine. “Coffee stays in your system longer when you’re older—up to eight hours.” So, if you drink a cup at 8 pm, while you may be able to fall asleep at bedtime, it can wake you up at 4 am.
▶ Dozing. “Avoid dozing in the early evening; if you nap too close to bedtime, it may be difficult to fall asleep on time.”
▶ Electronic devices. As little as two hours of exposure to light from electronic devices with back-lit displays, such as laptops and tablets, depresses melatonin production and could harm sleep quality, according to recent research. And in a 2012 policy state-ment called “Light Pollution: Adverse Health Effects of Nighttime Lighting,” the Amer-ican Medical Association states that long-term exposure to any kind of artificial light can harm sleep and overall health.
▶ Pets. Allowing pets into the bed or bedroom “may be good for your pet, but bad for your sleep.”
▶ Worrying. Give yourself a “wind-down” pe-riod before sleep. “Take time for yourself and don’t be pushed around by ‘have-tos.’”
While you sleep…
“We need sleep for routine maintenance,” says Dr. Spielman. “If you think of the body as a machine, then sleep puts it in ‘idle’ mode so certain repairs and up-keep can be done. Metabolic activity and body temperature both dip during sleep, allowing the body to conserve energy for growth and repair. The blood supply to the muscles increases, energy is re-stored, tissues grow and repair, and hormones that contribute to growth and development are released.
“In addition, the brain seems to need the special electrical stimulation provided during sleep to aid cognitive performance, decision-making (it’s easy to make a mistake when you’re tired), and memory. Furthermore, research conducted in living mice has shown evidence of a system in the brain that increases the flow of fluid and cleanses toxic molecules from the brain during sleep.”
Consequences of sleep problems
Having a specific sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts throughout the night, also harms health. Years of systematic research have established that OSA increases the risk of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. In addition, a study of more than 8,600 people suffering from OSA suggests a possible increased risk for developing diabetes, according to findings published June 6, 2014 online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Similarly, insomnia, which affects 30 percent of the general population and almost half of adults over age 60, can increase the risk of uncontrolled blood pressure, weight gain and depression.
By contrast, maintaining normal sleep patterns has been linked to healthy aging. In a study based on an analysis of the sleep patterns of 2,226 women over age 60, investigators found that 20.8 percent of the women who were categorized as “successful agers” were also “good sleepers” who had better sleep quality, fewer complaints of insomnia, and slept less during the daytime.
Practice good sleep hygiene
Dr. Spielman suggests these strategies to help yourself to a good night’s sleep every night:
▶ Exercise regularly during the day.
▶ Create a pleasant sleep environment in your bed-room, with curtains that block out light and noise, and a comfortable mattress and sheets.
▶ Create rituals—taking a warm bath, reading a book, listening to soft music—to help you relax before bedtime.
▶ Don’t read, write, eat, work, watch TV, or talk on the phone in bed. (Dr. Spielman notes that, if you don’t have problems sleeping and any of these activities promotes sleep for you, it’s okay to continue.)
▶ Don’t go to bed until your regular bed-time.
Breathe yourself to sleep
Deep, slow breathing has been used as a sleep aid and mental “centering” technique for centuries, according to Dr. Spielman. If you’re having trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep, do the following: While lying comfortably on your back, inhale briskly and deeply, hold for a count of two, and then exhale very slowly to a count of seven. Repeat this sequence up to 15 times. Lie still. If you’re not asleep after five minutes, do another set of 10, and let yourself drift. If you’re still awake, do another set of five.
“You’ll see a dramatic difference in your ability to get to sleep,” Dr. Spiel-man says. Since practice can help, he recommends doing this breathing activity once or twice during the day before you do it at night to help you go to sleep or get back to sleep.
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